1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to alternating current powered night lights, specifically to such night lights where the load controlled by a switch or switches is used as the electrical return path.
2. Prior Art
There are many night lights on the market in this crowded field of art. However, few provide a return path for current used to power a light through a load controlled by a switch. Most current night lights plug into an existing outlet receptacle and light a small area with a low level of light. U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,677 (2003) by Leen is one example. Others are wired into an outlet box. U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,411 B1 (2003) by Dornbusch is typical of such night lights. In such cases, power for the night light is not an issue because an electrical return path through a neutral wire is available.
In permanently mounted switchplate installations, prior inventors have generally assumed that a neutral wire was available in the outlet box. For purposes of this application, permanently mounted means connected directly to the building wiring, not a plug-in device. A neutral wire is always available in electrical boxes containing outlet receptacles. Unfortunately, many times light is needed where no neutral wire is available. This is commonly the case in electrical boxes containing only a switch or switches. The neutral wire typically resides in the electrical box serving the load, far from the box containing the switch that controls the load. A night light can be made to work in such a situation only if the return path is through the load.
There are a few examples of prior art that deal with this situation, however as will become clear in the ensuing discussion, they all have shortcomings that are addressed by the current invention.
Indicator lights that derive a return path for electrical current through a load are not unknown, but they are used as toggle or rocker switch illuminators. The illumination is for the immediate area of the switchplate surrounding such toggles or rockers. Generally, a very low wattage neon bulb is used for such purposes. For all practical purposes, no useable area lighting is furnished by such an arrangement, nor is any intended. The indicator lights serve only to make the switch easier to find in the dark. U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,913 (1988) by Steveland uses a light emitting diode (LED) as an indicator light. The light in this case serves the same purpose as prior neon lights. It marks the location of the switch in the dark. Steveland specifies a red or green LED.
Some prior inventions have used light emitting diodes, in theory, drawing current through a load to furnish more usable lighting, but all have issues that are resolved by the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,927 B2 (2005) by Cunningham et al shows a five LED array connected to a controller through specific circuitry. Because of the relatively large current drain required from five LEDs, a current return path through the neutral wire and not the load is required. This is shown in Cunningham's FIG. 4. where both line and neutral connections are shown. This requires the presence of a neutral wire in the switch box. In addition, Cunningham's specification states that the LEDs will stay on continuously regardless of the position of the switch. This can only be the case if the circuit is powered independently and not through the load as the position of the connection wires from the controlling electronics to the switch terminals on Cunningham's FIG. 12 would appear to indicate. In addition, the Cunningham invention requires a frame to house the LED assembly necessitating a significant protrusion from the wall as well as additional manufacturing cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,469 B1 (2004) by Barton specifies an LED safety device using the toggle handle of a switch as the housing for the LED. It is primarily intended as an emergency device using a battery backup located in the outlet box. Electronics are needed to charge the battery. In addition the device will only work with a conventional toggle. Many light switches today are of the rocker type and Barton's invention would not work well with these. Barton's device also has several other disadvantages. From Barton's FIG. 1B, 2B, and 3, the electronics require a neutral return line, labeled as such on Barton's drawings. As stated previously, neutral lines are rarely present in switch boxes. In addition, according to Barton's FIG. 2A, the electronics and battery package appear to take a significant amount of room in the outlet box. Many outlet boxes are crowded with wires. Finally the toggle in the downward position would direct the light from the LED too far out from the wall on which the switch is mounted to serve as pathway illumination.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,496 B1 (2003) by Elghoroury et al specifies an array of LEDs around the periphery of an assembly which covers an existing switchplate. Each LED includes an optical assembly, for example a reflector and a lens to disperse light. Other than a variable resistor shown on his FIG. 1, there appear to be no other electronic components present to drive the LEDs and no connection to the electrical wiring is shown. In addition, the provided drawings indicate light emission directly toward the user. This is acceptable as an indicator light for switch location, but provides no useable pathway lighting. Elghoroury's design appears to cover an existing switchplate with a larger device and so cannot be used in areas where the existing switchplate is the largest size cover that will work in the available space. As with previous patents cited, there is a power issue with the preferred embodiment of four LEDs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,965,205 B2 (2005) by Piepgras et al, along with related CIPs, and patent applications show LEDs mounted behind the switchplate on their FIG. 36 with a flat mounted lens directing the light toward the user. This will provide no useable pathway lighting under the switchplate although it will work as an indicator light. Also a plurality of LEDs is specified. The present invention uses only one for reasons that will be clear in the ensuing narrative.
Almost all directly wired night lights in the prior art make use of multiple LED arrays. If several of these devices were installed on multiple 3-way and 4-way switches controlling the same load, the probability of activating the load is much greater. Thus, for example, if the five LED array in the preferred embodiment of Cunningham's device were to be used on two 3-way switches, one at the top and one at the bottom of a stairway, the current draw from 10 LEDs plus associated electronics would have a much greater likelihood of activating the load. The situation would be exacerbated if there were one or more 4-way switches in the circuit that made use of Cunningham's device.
Multiple LED night lights are neither necessary nor desirable for the following reasons: (a) White light LEDs generally are very efficient and provide a large amount of light for a given amount of current. (b) Having an excessive amount of light emanating from the LED has a detrimental effect on night vision. One needs an adequate amount of light to see the pathway beneath the switch clearly, but no more. (c) Additional LEDs require additional current and thus there is more heat generated by the electronics to dissipate behind the switchplate. (d) White LEDs are a relatively expensive component compared to the other electronic parts in the LED drive circuitry. The use of one LED allows the device to be produced more economically.
In addition, prior art also does not appear to have considered the problem of reactive loads. Because the load functions as a return path for electrical current in this invention, it is important to be able to pass current through the load without a significant amount of impedance as this will dim the light produced by the LED and may also cause a significant amount of LED flickering. If the load is incandescent, it is mostly resistive and most any LED driver circuit that functions from an alternating current supply will work provided it does not draw enough current to activate the load. Today, many incandescent light bulbs are being replaced by their compact fluorescent equivalents because of their greater efficiency and energy savings. These use an electronic ballast and so present a more reactive load to the LED driver circuitry. It is also possible that the device will be connected to a long tube fluorescent load. In this case, either a magnetic or electronic ballast will be used thus again presenting a more reactive load to the LED driver circuitry. The present invention addresses these issues by introducing a current regulator connected in a non-standard way into the circuitry to reduce these fluctuations.
3. Objects and Advantages
Several objects of the present invention are:
(a) To make use of efficiencies in the utilization of light emitted by mounting the LED in a configuration not anticipated by the manufacturer.
(b) To provide area lighting where no neutral electrical return line is available.
(c) To address the problem of reactive loads where the return path for the night light is through a fixture containing compact fluorescent or long tube fluorescent bulbs.
The present invention offers a number of advantages over the prior art:
(a) The invention provides usable pathway lighting in areas where a conventional plug-in night light is unusable due to lack of an electrical socket.
(b) The LED is mounted on the outside of the switchplate and is oriented in such a way as to make full use of its light output without the use of any separate intervening optical elements such as reflectors, lenses or diffusers.
(c) The LED is deliberately driven below its rated input, resulting in extremely long life. The LED and associated circuitry should last the life of the structure in which it is installed. The light output is nonetheless sufficient for adequate nighttime pathway lighting.
(d) Because the current draw is low, multiple devices may be connected to the same electrical circuit controlling the same load. This is typically the case with 3-way and 4-way switch installations.
(e) Because the LED and associated electronics are built onto the switchplate, no light is necessary on the rocker or toggle switch itself. The invention thus serves the dual purpose of providing useful area lighting and serving as a locator for the switch toggle or rocker.
(f) The majority of the light from the LED is directed away from the user and onto the floor thus helping to preserve night vision.
(g) Because light switches are typically mounted several feet higher on the wall than electrical outlets, light from the LED illuminates a much larger area than typical plug-in night lights.
(h) The invention is designed to operate without modification with 2-way (SPST), 3-way, and 4-way light switches or any valid combination thereof. The only stipulation is that the switch design (toggle or rocker) be consistent with that of the switchplate. Thus there are two substantive embodiments of the invention, one for each style of switchplate in common use. These are the toggle type and rocker type.
(i) The invention is extremely low-profile with the light emitting portion protruding less than 5 mm from the surface of the switchplate.
(j) The invention draws very little current due to simple high-efficiency circuitry and the use of a single white light LED.
(k) The design eliminates many of the parts described in prior art. It requires no protruding frame, no separate electronics box unattached to the switchplate, no structure to hold an array of LEDs, and very few electronic parts. In addition, no focusing or diffusing lenses are required to direct and spread the light produced by the LED. This makes for efficient use of the available light.
(l) The device electronics mitigate the effect of reactive loads such as those encountered with long tube or compact fluorescent bulbs by regulating the current driving the LED.
(m) The state of the night light when the load is turned off provides an indication of the state of the load. If the night light is not illuminated when the switch is off, there may be a problem with the load.